THE PROCESS
Ground Work
Project Scope
Sarah will give you a call and find out exactly what you need and your timings. She'll then compile a re-brief for you to review, to make sure nothing was missed and we're all on the same page. Then we’ll send through a cost estimate outlining the project details, deliverables and timeline, along with a contract for you to sign.
Payment Process
We require 50% to start the project, securing your place in our schedule, then 50% balance on completion.
For international clients, no NZ GST tax is added.
Discovery & Strategy
We’ll dig deeper via a video chat, to find out everything about your project, brand and offering. We'll then send you a re-brief with all notes collated. Then Sarah will start on the project strategy, which will inform the design. For websites, we’ll create a spec document outlining content, navigation (UX), functionality eg. forms, galleries, blog etc. For an ecommerce site it’ll include product architecture/navigation.
Design
Concept
Design concepts will be based on the strategy document and the number of concepts presented depends on what was included in your costing, for our Brand Package we present 2 concepts. For websites we provide 1 concept that includes 3 pages eg. Home, About, Contact. Designs will be presented over a shared screen video call or by email (PDF) with accompanied notes. Your feedback must be collated into one email, doc or call, this is the 1st of 2 rounds of amends included in most costings.
Development
We’ll develop 1 concept based on your feedback. This might be 1 of the 2 concepts presented or elements from both options. For websites we’ll continue to develop the 1 concept based on your feedback, we'll then apply the design development to all web pages. Final feedback must be collated into one email, doc or call, this is the 2nd of 2 rounds of amends included in most costings. Then final refinements will be made.
Content
If you already have photos and copywriting we’ll get you to send these before starting the design phase. If you need us to help create content, check out more info in our FAQs below.
Production
Brand Projects
Once design is completed, final production takes place. For branding projects we’ll create a brand style guide and roll out your items. Digital stationery may include a letterhead template (Word or Google Doc), Slide presentation template (Powerpoint or Google Slides), EDM template (Mailchimp or Canva).
Print & Packaging Projects
For print and packaging we'll source production quotes and set up artwork files to printers specifications. We oversee print production to ensure the end result matches as close as possible to the design you approved onscreen, or we can arrange for printed samples before proceeding with a full print run.
Website Projects
For websites, once the test site is approved we begin behind-the-scenes prep to get your site live, eg. domain transfer, on-page SEO, testing links and forms etc.
FAQs
Our Brand Package usually takes around 6 – 8 weeks. For websites it depends how big or complex the site is, and creating content and content upload takes time. If you already have content and its just a small site then around 4 weeks. If content needs to be generated, then 4 – 6 weeks. Larger sites and ecommerce sites 8+ weeks, depending on the amount of products and content.
Timings can vary on both our workloads (yours and ours), if you're unable to give feedback on key dates established in the timeline then delivery will get pushed out. Timelines we provide are a guide, we understand how little time owner-operators have! We can work to your pace.
Absolutely, we can video chat via Zoom, Skype or Facetime, work will be presented over a shared screen Zoom call and/or by PDF (email) with accompanied notes. We work with clients from Auckland, New Zealand-wide, Sydney, London and Europe. Working across different time zones doesn't effect the length of a project, just means a few meetings outside of NZ work hours!
If its a smallish job then generally yes, if we're able to push out a less urgent booking, contact me to discuss sarah@dossier.co.nz
Absolutely, we'll discuss your content needs during our discovery call, then I'll add a price for this in the website costing. We usually do copywriting unless you already have professionally written copy, ideally from a brand specialist. We get clients to give us as much information about their brand and offering, even if its just in bullet points, then we pull it all together using a clear, concise tone-of-voice that speaks to your particular audience. For images we’ll search for stock photography (free or low-cost where possible), or help find a photographer and put together a photography brief together for them to cost on.
While content is being produced, the website build can still commence, by using placeholder content. Sometimes wireframes (rough page layouts) can help determine what copy is required, we'll discuss the best approach at the beginning of the project.
Yes we have fantastic Auckland-based photographers we call on, depending on the style you need: portrait, product, landscape or interiors. We'll work with you to establish a photography brief that includes a mood board, then source a couple of quotes for you to choose from. If you're located outside of Auckland or internationally, this is also possible to arrange remotely. We charge for our time but we don't add a mark-up to the photographers fee. And if you already have a photographer we're more than happy to work with them.
If professional photography doesn't work for your budget, we can source stock images for you. We mostly use istockphoto.com which are good value, but there are a reasonably good selection of royality-free images available, although you do run the risk of other brands using them too.
Yes we do basic Photoshop retouching but if the job requires a specialist we can get quotes together for you. We can adjust professional photography and stock images to suit your brand, eg. colour grade. If you don't have professional photography, we often work with iPhone images and video, applying filters and adjustments to get them closer to a professionally-taken shot, but they have to be supplied in high resolution.
Yes we can manage printing for you for a fee, this involves sourcing quotes, arranging samples/proofs, managing artwork, checking final proofs on the press and liaising between all parties. The cost of printing is additional, we will either invoice you for printing or for some large print jobs we'll organise for you to pay directly. We don't add a mark-up on printing, our time is covered in the print management fee. If you already have a printer you'd like to use, we're happy to work with them, whether they're Auckland based, South Island or overseas.
Content can be shared via Dropbox, Google Drive or by sending using free file-sharing website www.wetransfer.com Its important your files are organised into named folders, to make finding images easier/faster our end.
We mostly use website builders Wix and Squarespace, which we fully customise (no templates) to make a site that's unique to your brand. If you require ecommerce, both platforms offer this at a very competitive rate, and we can also work with Shopify. We're not affiliated with any one company, we'll advise on the best platform for your needs (functionality & budget).
Web hosting cost is additional. We can arrange for hosting and invoice you, or you can pay directly. Wix & Squarespace have competitive monthly hosting prices, currently its around US$100+gst for a basic 1-year subscription plan, eCommerce annual plans start at around US$200+gst. Shopify hosting is between US$29 – $79 per month, depending on how much integration you need with in-store retail.
No problem, we can help you find the best domain name available, we usually use Go Daddy and get you to pay directly your end so you can manage ongoing yearly payments. We'll then connect your domain name to your new site. We can also help you get a personalised email set up, eg. yourname@yourbrandname.com. If you don't have an email provider we can help you set up either Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, both offer ample email storage plus access to their suite of online apps. Most of our clients use Google Workspace.
A logo is the symbol or wordmark you'll use to represent your company. Branding, or brand design system, is the logo PLUS the fonts and colours you'll use on a page or post, the way you lay out all of these elements, the style of photography you use, the tone-of-voice in your messaging, these are all parts of your brand's identity, your branding. Note that you'll require multiple iterations of a logo, for different uses. For example a 'full' logo which is your primary logo and may include a bi-line, a simplified version for your social media circle profile, and a small icon used for your website favicon.
